Toccata
by Midori Aoi
Summary: She had been wandering, cast in insomnia. When she heard a melody on an instrument she had never seen before. And the hand she had once loathed for its violence extends the invitation to create. There are only tears in her eyes and a burning in her hand where their skin meets. Try as she might, she can't ignore him... and she can never forget. (Levi x Mikasa) (complete)
1. Toccata

_A/N: Piano prompt from Tumblr. This will be a multi-chaptered fic. Chapters, I'm planning on so far is just 3, but that may be subject to change. I have two pieces in which inspired this ficlet, the first played by Levi and the second played by Levi and Mikasa._

_For those interested in listening along they are:  
Toccata and Fugue in D Minor by Johann Sebastian Bach. (the right version I couldn't find worth my own life on youtube or anywhere else save spotify - so here's the link for it. k - lionheart dot tumblr dot com / post / 64754275573 /so - someone - asked - me - once - upon - a - time - what - version  
just eliminate the spaces and connect the dots._

_Passacaglia (piano duet) by Handel-Halvorsen. (if you want an exact sound to how I pictured it - go and search it on youtube under passacaglia piano duet - the fourth result is the video with the version closest to how I've learned to play the piece.)_

_(sidenote: Toccata translates from Italian meaning, Touched.)_

_Disclaimer: I own nothing._

* * *

**Toccata**

_Summary:  
She had been wandering, cast in insomnia. When she heard a melody on an instrument she had never heard before. Suddenly, she is desperate to find it and when she does, the hand she had once loathed for its violence extends the invitation to create. There are only tears in her eyes and a burning in her hand where their skin meets._

* * *

The night was merciless. Where the day had been bright and overwhelming, the night crushed and consumed. Mikasa stared deep into the dark, hands curling and reaching for the cobwebs of sleep to lull her into oblivion. But there was no comfort tonight, nothing save tantalizing shadows and laughing silence.

She sits up, fists clenching in order to stop the trembling and she stands. Placing pale and slender feet on the cool ground, Mikasa escapes the dark of her room and begins to tread. Her footsteps padded the ground gently as she tried to focus on the scarce moonlight, silver and soft and bright.

The woman worth one hundred soldiers stops to gaze out a window, staring at the full moon with the haunted look of someone being chased by their demons.

She can't stop now.

She continues walking.

It is silent. People were sleeping and she was nowhere near where soldiers did their rounds at this point in the dark. All she can hear is the sound of her footsteps and shaky breathing.

Mikasa wanders, aimlessly and without destination, only caring for the feel of the air against her exposed arms and legs. She realizes then that she left her scarf on the foot of her bed and feels cold.

It is silent. That is..._ wait..._

Mikasa stopped, a frown etching shadows on her face as she struggles to listen. Silence... until she can hear it. _There._ What is that?

She moves again and she is walking faster now, curious. Mikasa turns down a hallway and feels a rush when she realizes it was getting louder. She is jogging, feet silence against the cool ground and she is running up the stairs and turning down another hallway before stopping, abrupt and gasping.

It was a song. A music so strange to her but it was enticing, drawing her in with its somber tones and low rhythms.

Standing before two large doors she frowns again. _I don't remember this... where am I?_

Her hand is touching the handle and with a deep breath she pressed and softly turns it, grateful that it made no noise save a gentle _clack_. She pushes the door and peeks in and her breath is stuck in her throat.

The room was bare save one large table looking instrument soaked in moonlight, and before it sat, back facing her, the familiar body of the Lance Corporal Levi.

She is in the room and she blinks, unsure when she had crossed the threshold of the door and when she closed it. But she was mesmerized, listening to the ever so sad music with wide eyes.

A tear spills over an eye and lands on her chest. Mikasa bites her lip, puzzled as to why this music was affecting her so much. Even more so when she realized the feeling of loathing she had for the Corporal didn't manifest itself like it usually did. Instead there was only surprise and awe.

How could this be? How could hands that have been trained and used to harm and destroy Titans, hands that had ripped into Eren's hair to yank cruelly and cause pain... make music so beautiful?

His hands suddenly slammed into the keys, the chord startling her into a tiny gasp as the song crescendo'ed and lifted before gently softening, gently slowing, before tenderly uniting in final chords. The last one was low and strong even though it had been played so carefully. Mikasa could feel it in her chest and the silence that followed was no longer laughing and taunting... but reverent. Still.

"How long do you plan to stand there gawking?" Levi's voice made her jump and Mikasa looked away, throwing her hands to wipe at the tears in her eyes.

"How did you know I was here?" Mikasa asked and Levi's shoulders tensed. He turned, face caressed by moonlight and the light bounced off his narrow blue eyes, making them glow like something out of this world.

"I could hear you sniffling," Levi replied, even and without any hind of dryness or sarcasm. Mikasa frowned, even so.

"I wasn't sniffling," She denied, looking away and at the instrument in front of him. "What... what is that?"

"It's called a piano." Levi said again, tearing his vibrant gaze from her to stare solemnly at the black and white keys. His hand caressed the top with a tenderness that a loving mother would have for her child.

"Come," He said again and turned in the bench facing the keys again. Mikasa hesitated, torn. But curiosity was a wretched mistress and before Mikasa could find a good reason to leave she was walking down the large empty room to stand by Levi, awkwardly.

"Sit," He ordered and she slid next to him, the bench creaking under her added weight.

"Play with me." He says again and Mikasa looks at him in shock. He meets her eyes, unabashed. She dry swallows before clearing her throat, softly.

"I...don't know how." She protests. He doesn't seem perturbed, instead he lifts his hands and rests them against the keys and Mikasa stares, fascinated. The moonlight bounced off his skin, shining off the keys in a picture so lovely Mikasa wishes she knew how to draw. Huh.

"I'll teach you." He says again and begins to play some of the keys, going up and down. "This is a scale."

He plays some at once. "This is a chord."

He plays some in a certain rhythm, and they let out a lovely stream of notes that Mikasa listens to, speechless. "The black keys are known as the sharps and flats of the regular notes, listen. There are different kinds of scales and different kinds of chords. Certain pitches and sounds that work well together, and others that don't. "

He plays some keys and the sound comes out discordant. Mikasa realizes she's nodding until he looks at her.

"You get that?" He asks, her eyes are on his mouth. Mikasa tears her gaze away, biting her lip.

"Try." He urges, and she reels in confusion and surprise. This was not the Levi she was familiar with. The Corporal who demanded for movement with sharp commands, not suggesting softly with half-lidded eyes.

Unable to stop herself, Mikasa lifts a hand and begins to play some of the keys in the first scale Levi showed her. When she looks at him, His eyes are wider and something in his gaze tells her he is pleased.

"Very good." He praises and Mikasa feels like someone punched her in the gut. What was this? Who was this man? Certainly not Levi Rivaille. _I'm dreaming... I must be._

"I'm going to play the Harmony, I will teach you the melody." He begins and Mikasa begins to protest but he silences her with a simple shake of his head.

"It's very simple," He soothes. Mikasa is gaping. "Let me show you."

He is pressing keys in a descending scale before ascending and finishing in the black keys. It is slow, but Mikasa catches on quick and her hands are following his movements easily and then smoothly.

"You have a natural musical ear, Ackerman." Levi murmurs and Mikasa glances at him, unsure how to reply to that, instead she nods and quietly thanks him.

"Now, that you've learned this much, I will play. I will repeat the chords until you feel good in joining like I taught you."

Mikasa feels nervous when his hands start working the lower keys, but as she listens Mikasa feels something. Something in her chest she had never felt before, as if she knew how to match his slow moving rhythm.

She begins to press the keys, following and Levi accompanies her. Mikasa is startled when the chord he plays shifts to another, and she pressed a key that sounded off. Levi stopped and Mikasa looks away, embarrassed.

"S...Sorry." She apologizes quickly, letting her hands fall.

"It's fine." Levi shrugs. "Try again."

He begins to play the beginning chord gently, repeating a couple of times until Mikasa felt ready to follow. Her fingers press the keys again and this time she does not mess up when he switches chords. They continue this for a short while, before she finishes the notes he had taught her.

When she looks away from the keys, Mikasa feels her lips tighten upon catching the small smile on his lips.

"That was good," He murmurs. "Now add these notes..."

The lesson continued and he walked her through it, repeating when she stumbled and continuing when she got it. Soon, Mikasa was playing the melody smoothly and Levi played one of the chords with a flourish before raising the tempo.

Mikasa did not disappoint, following and matching his rhythm the more she followed the feeling in her chest. She was swaying now, feeling the rise and fall of the music in her soul as they played well into the night.

It was one of the most beautiful things she had ever heard and something was bursting with joy inside her when Mikasa realized she was doing this. She was making something beautiful, and the hatred she felt for Levi was crumbling when she appreciated doing it with him.

But all that stopped abruptly when her hand brushed against his right and just like that the music stopped, their skin still touching.

Mikasa froze, staring at the way the moonlight spread from his long fingers to her slender digits. Feeling something different she glanced up, only to meet Levi's eyes, staring at her with something she had not expected and could not pin point.

It was as if the bit of skin that touched his was being overwhelmed with warmth, spreading from her hand to her chest and body. Making her heart suddenly pound a little harder and thrum a little thicker in her ears. And no matter how she tried, Mikasa could not look away from the intensity in his eyes.

Blue met Onyx evenly, fiercely yet smoothly. Silent like the moonlight around them. When, ever so slowly, his eyes moved from hers to glide down her face and rest on her mouth and Mikasa could feel her mouth go dry.

Mikasa did not know how long he stared at her lips, but it must've been forever and a short moment all at once. Because all she could do was look down and look at Levi's lips and wondered if they would feel as soft as they looked.

There was a moment that held them both back. Neither moved, holding very still as if they didn't know if they should cross the very fine line the hung between them and was pressed tightly between the crevice where their hands touched.

It must have been eons before His eyes looked back into hers and then back down and Mikasa realized he was leaning in, tilting his head just millimeters to the side.

She felt her eyelids flutter, unable to breathe when she felt the softest brush on her lips and Mikasa began to lean in, as if pulled toward him.

Their lips just barely managed to graze into each other when there was a faint bang outside the doors, snapping Mikasa back into reality. She pulled away, startled and cheeks burning before scrambling up. Mikasa's fingers stretched and clenched into her fists a couple of times as she tried to gather her thoughts, unable to meet Levi's surprised and dazed look.

"I-I... I should go." She stammered, heart pounding loudly into her chest.

"Mikasa..." He breathed and Mikasa looked at him, a rolling turmoil of emotions flashing like neon through her eyes and searing into his.

"Thank you... for the beautiful music." She spoke again, clenching her fists one last time at her side. Something in his expression seemed to fall, a faint slump in his shoulders at her words when he nodded.

"Goodnight, Corporal." Mikasa bade. Levi said nothing for a short morning.

"Goodnight... Ackerman." He replied softly and Mikasa whirled, her feet doing half moons as she turned away and all but ran out the room.

Walking away, Mikasa tried to focus more on the way her feet struck the stone beneath instead of how her hand burned with memory of his touch and how her lips ached for the butterfly feel of his mouth.

_I hate him._ Mikasa chanted in her mind, over and over to remind herself of how he had hurt Eren once upon a time. How he was almost responsible for how Eren had almost been taken by Annie. But those reasons slowly fell apart in the cover of the night and the silence offered no comfort to her denial - only truth. Try as she might, Mikasa couldn't feel it - that spark of loathing for the Corporal. Instead her mind rang with other memories of how he stood by Eren and defended him, how he had spun with uncanny grace and speed - ripping into Annie's Titan form like paper when so many others had failed.

And now the image of him, drenched in moonlight, playing such solemn notes in the dark haunted her and consumed her until she reached her room and she fell into her bed.

Exhausted, Mikasa let out a shuddered breath and wondered if he was still there sitting on that bench in silence or surrounded in music and before Mikasa could dwell more on the music she had played with him, her eyelids drooped and she drifted off to a dreamless sleep.

* * *

_Fin_


	2. Fermata

**A/N: One more chapter to go. :) The music Levi plays in this chapter can be found here - (remove the spaces and connect the dots)  
you tube watch ? v = stroh Bj_ hjc &feature = yout u. be**

_Yes, I know this one is a short one but next chapter is going to be pretty long. So, don't you worry my pretties. Don't you worry. _

_Fermata - To hold a tone or rest held beyond the written value at the discretion of the performer._

_Disclaimer: I don't own a thing._

* * *

**Toccata  
**  
_Fermata_

_summary:_  
_Things had changed and sleep is a taunting and cruel child that wishes not to share in dreams. Mikasa comes to a sudden realization but fear has a way of silencing desires as well as hopes.  
Rated K_

* * *

The next night Mikasa found herself clenching tightly to the sheets in her bed, wide eyed and silent. She did not know how long she had stayed in bed, awake and pressed by this laughing and mocking silence.

Ever since her return to her room the night prior and the sleep that followed, Mikasa had thought that she had been cured. That she would no longer have to wait for sleep to come and save her from the wretched dark and scorching moonlight. But she was wrong.

That morning, Mikasa convinced herself that much of what happened between her and the Lance Corporal had been a dream, a simple figment of an overeactive imagination already stressed passed its limit from lack of sleep. Yet when she arrived to breakfast and her eyes found him purely by accident from across the room, her heart burst into a strange gallop that reminded her of their duet.

He had been speaking with Mike, his face turned to acknowledge the officer. But it was as if her gaze had startled an electricity from him, and like a magnet finding its counterpart, those narrow blue eyes blinked slowly before sliding to land directly on her coal shaded ones.

Mikasa's fingers began to itch and the spot of skin on her hand that she swore never touched his began to tingle. Mikasa bit her lips softly, recalling purely against her will the feeling of his mouth gently brushing against hers for just the fraction of a second.

Where had the anger gone? Where had her taste for vengeance and violence had drained to?

Suddenly the memory of wanting to hurt that strong jaw and bruise those soft lips gave in to a whole new desire. For a moment, Mikasa wondered if he felt that same desire, because suddenly his eyes were widening just a bit and those lips parted…

"Morning Mikasa," and just like that the spell was broken and Mikasa yanked her gaze away, heart pounding.

"Sasha…" Mikasa greeted, suddenly feeling out of breath.

"What are you looking at?" The girl asked, leaning forward as she tilted her head curiously. Dare she do it? Mikasa chanced it, and with a subtle blink in Levi's direction she felt with some relief (and disappointment) he was no longer looking at her but conversing with Mike, as if nothing had just transpired between them.

But… nothing _had_ transpired between them.

Nothing at all.

Mikasa took in a deep breath, pulling her scarf away from her suddenly too warm neck and followed Sasha to their usual table where Eren, Armin and Connie waited.

The day went on uneventfully. Well… as uneventfully as it could get. Mikasa did her chores and trained along with her team mates as usual. That evening at dinner, Mikasa did not see Levi anywhere. The feeling of mixed disappointment and relief churned in her chest as she ate, and she couldn't control the need to search whenever the door opened and let in soldiers ready to eat.

Even so, Levi remained absent that entire evening and Mikasa tried to push away any and all thoughts from him out of her mind.

"Hey, Mikasa," Armin spoke, and Mikasa glanced up from where she had her chin on her palm. "Everything okay? You haven't said a word all night."

"What's the matter," Connie asked, mouth full with bread. "You sick?"

"No," Mikasa denied, "Just tired."

"Does your hand hurt?" Eren motioned to her hand and Mikasa frowned before realizing with shock that she had been tapping the wood of the table in the same movements of that haunting music. "You've been doing that ever since you sat down."

"I…sorry," Mikasa shook her head, dropping her hand to her lap in a fist. "I didn't realize."

The conversation went on after that, no one really paying much attention to her as she finished her dinner. Walking to her room, Mikasa stopped for no one. Keeping her gaze firmly ahead, Mikasa felt with some relief how no one tried to speak to her and when she finally walked into her room, she changed into her nightclothes, cleaned her mouth and threw herself decisively under her covers, despite the warmth in her room.

Minutes passed, then hours.

The clatter in the rest of the castle died down as soldiers and staffpeople turned in for the night, leaving nothing but silence and shadow.

Tossing and turning, Mikasa tried to get comfortable. Tried to will the lull of sleep to burn away the memories and sensations Levi's gaze had left on her skin. But it did not come and Mikasa found herself staring at the ceiling, fists clenching at the sheets and eyes staring at nothing.

_Blood. Screams. The ever grinning stretch of lips over the face of the titan that had taken her Aunt Carla. The gleam of hatred in the eyes of the man who held the axe that bit into her mother's neck. The sight of Eren's body being ripped out of the titan he had manipulated only to be bitten out by Annie's titan form. The blood and stench of burning bodies on a funeral pyre. _

_Levi's eyes as he had swung forward and yanked Eren free. The way his body ripped through air and skin and flesh and hot acidic blood with the speed and grace of something out of this world. The way his hands are gliding over black and white keys, making beautiful music lift and curl and breathe around her, drenched in moonlight. His blue eyes glowing, moving from hers to rest on her lips._

"_Play with me."_

Mikasa ripped herself off the bed, sighing. Fists trembling, Mikasa tried to find the solace of a walk enter through the soles of her feet and before she knew it, Mikasa was out the door of her room and heading in the same direction she had wandered the night before.

Footsteps padding softly on stone and carpet were all she heard, taking in short breaths as she meandered, trying to find something familiar. Moonlight poured like silver water through windows and staining floors with an iridescent glow. Mikasa turned down a hallway, wracking her brain to see if it was familiar the more she walked down the hallways.

Nothing.

Not a sound. Not a single feeling of familiarity.

She was jogging now, turning down corners and corridors in a frantic search. Mikasa did not know why she needed to find it, find that large room that held that mysterious instrument and hopefully the officer that played soul wrenching music.

For a while, Mikasa backtracked and took random turns, stopping only and hiding when one of the guards doing their rounds passed by. After what felt like an eternity, Mikasa felt her heart tumble to her feet. Crestfallen and sighing, Mikasa leaned against a wall, breathing hard through her nose.

Why was this so important? It's not like she really cared for him. Because she didn't. Mikasa felt nothing – had felt nothing…

Dark eyes clenched shut and she lifted a palm to rub at her temple. What happened? How did this even happen? How could she let this happen?

"I'm going to bed…" She murmured to the darkness. The darkness did not respond and after a short moment of staring off into the black, Mikasa straightened up. Feet chilled and body shivering, Mikasa tried to find her way back and for a while she walked without care for where she was going – so long as she knew she no longer cared for finding the room and Levi.

Feet stopped suddenly against shadow drenched stone and Mikasa felt her breath catch in her throat.

Silence.

Mikasa waited.

…_There._

But where? Mikasa whirled around, eyes staring off as she focused her energy into her hearing. Straining to catch more of that faded melody, Mikasa began to move. She dared not breathe, dared not make too loud movements. But as she moved, so did that music and Mikasa blinked and like water falling over her head, she recognized where she was.

Mikasa ran.

Up the stairs, down the corner and down the hall and just like that she found it. The big set of double doors, dimly light by a distant lamp in the adjacent hallway.

Mikasa could hear the music clearly now and she stared, heaving, at the large doors. Lifting a hand, she pressed her palm against the cool metal knob, but something stopped her then.

Something she had never felt before in her life – like a thrill, like a paralyzing hold pressing hard down her skin and squeezing the air out of her. Hear pounding and face flushing, Mikasa stared at the door.

The music on the other side of the doors was not the same she had heard the night before. Keys were being pressed in a rhythm and movement that she could feel was affecting her – as if those hands were playing out a secret part of a soul and emotion that she was not supposed to listen.

What if she opened the door and he ceased to play? What if she tried to approach him now he would tell her to leave? How could he not after he had invited her to share and play such beautiful music only to be slapped by her rejection as she ran from him.

What if he refused to play with her, and told her to leave him be?

Mikasa let her hand fall, hair falling over her face like a curtain. She leaned forward and let her forehead press against the cool wood of the door, eyes sliding close as she listened to the music Levi's hands were creating.

With a breath, Mikasa pulled away and gave the door one final longing look before turning around and walking off. Her footsteps fading behind her and mixing with the sound of chords playing such sweet somber notes that made tears fall from her cheeks and spread dark stains on her nightclothes.

That night, sleep did not come.

Leaving Mikasa to bear the weight of the laughing silence and the cruel darkness around her.

* * *

_TBC_

_please review! :)_


	3. Coda

_A/N: Here it is! The final chapter of Toccata. Thank you all for your lovely reviews and your support. I am so proud to announce this as my first truly completed multi-chaptered fic, even if it was only three chapters. Here is the link to the song Mikasa plays in this chapter. _

_so on youtube just add (/watch ?v =9 AglT T9E cME) (eliminate the spaces)_

_It is a piece I composed a few years ago, but it goes beautifully with this final chapter. Enjoy!_

_Coda: (closing section of a movement.)_

_Disclaimer: I don't own a thing._

* * *

**Toccata  
**_Coda_**  
**_  
Try as she might, Mikasa desperately tried to ignore it. Tried to ignore the heat that burns through her skin. The battle rages but the silence continues to taunt and mock her. To escape it, Mikasa seeks refuge in the music but through it finds liberation.  
Rated M (17+) for adult themes and some language._

* * *

There is a tension in the air.

Thick and silent, suffocating. Impatient.

As if it had grown tired of waiting for the coming of darkness and decided to spread its torturous fingers into the dawn.

The itch that had come and gone throughout the next few nights and days had become constant. Chest aching and a strange restlessness filling into a tight belly, making fingers twitch and legs bob as hours passed.

The corp had received information about strange titan activity down on the south east part of the wall. Levi had gone with the expedition, leaving her nights empty and without any form of relief. Each day passed with an unsteady confidence that they would be returning. But when Mikasa caught herself gazing out the window of the training room, arm frozen and mid-air, she had to remind herself she was not worried for him. She was just worried about the soldiers who would not be returning.

Corporal Levi was going to come back.

He was far too powerful a soldier. He had lived far too long to be taken by the enemy now.

A sudden image of those hands – the same that had clenched hilts and tore through titan skin, that had pressed gently on black and white keys and tickled out sweet and somber melodies, that had brushed against hers in a moment of musical inebriation – returning broken and bloodied jumped to the front of her mind.

"Mikasa!"

The girl gasped, staring at the mess in front of her. All too suddenly, Sasha was at her side and taking her hands in hers, looking them over for injuries. _What…?_

"You have to be careful," Sasha admonished, frowning at Mikasa's red fists. "I get that you're strong and everything but this is your fourth ripped punching bag."

She did what?

Blinking, Mikasa felt her mind return back to the situation at hand. Sure enough, the punching bag she had been slugging at for the past hour was now hanging loosely with its insides spilled all over the training mats. The rip her fist had yanked through was not so large, but given the abrupt tear it forced nearly everything out. The more Mikasa stared at it the more morbid it became under her gaze.

A sudden sharp pain in her right hand drew a tight hiss through Mikasa's teeth. Looking back at Sasha, Mikasa instinctively yanked her hand out of the girl's hold.

"Yep, seems like you fractured your knuckles." Sasha sighed, shaking her head. Mikasa lifted her injured hand to her chest, cradling it as it throbbed.

"Come on, let's get you to Hanji—"

"I can make it there on my own, Sasha." Mikasa interrupted, eyebrows furrowing and lips twitching downward in a scowl. Sasha recoiled under her harsh tone but made no move to protest.

"Oh… okay then." Sasha muttered, looking down, crestfallen. Mikasa turned and walked off, pointedly pushing any remorse for being so rough on the redhead. The door slammed shut behind her as Mikasa made her way out the training hall and towards the infirmary.

"Everything alright, Mikasa?" Hanji asked, eyes inspecting the now swollen knuckles of Mikasa's hand.

"Why wouldn't it be?" Mikasa replied evenly. Hanji flicked brown eyes up from behind her glasses to peer curiously at Mikasa. Mikasa frowned.

"What?"

"Nothing," Hanji shrugged before returning her attention back to Mikasa's hand. After a short moment of silence, Hanji let out a short breath through her nose. "Have you been having trouble sleeping, Mikasa?"

There it was… that same damn tension following her everywhere. Mikasa felt her lips tighten at Hanji's question and her other hand clenched tight in her lap.

"I'm fine." Mikasa stated, her expression guarded while her voice betrayed nothing. Hanji hummed pensively under her breath and Mikasa could feel the irritation begin to bubble some violent need in her chest. Hanji quickly instructed Mikasa to wiggle her fingers, she did. But at great pain.

"Yep," Hanji affirmed after Mikasa let out a pained groan. "It's a break."

"How so?" Mikasa asked and retracted her injured hand whilst Hanji leaned over her desk to the side and pulled some creams and bandages out.

"Well, I'm not seeing any misplacements of the bone, so I'm sure it's only a fracture. And judging on how well you can move your hand, it must be a small one. Even so," Hanji straightened and began to unwind some of the bandages, looking at Mikasa right in the eyes. "No more training for this hand. You're going to have to get used to using your left hand until it heals."

A look of pure and unhindered disdain flashed over Mikasa's features as she let Hanji rub some of the ointment on the injury. This was not missed by Hanji.

"When was the last time you had a good night's sleep?"

Mikasa felt the bubble return. "Last night."

"Don't lie, Mikasa." Hanji hummed again, wrapping the bandage around her hand. Mikasa gripped on to a wrinkle in her pants, tight and angry. Why was she so angry?

"Why does it fucking matter, Hanji?" Mikasa hissed, but her face fell, startled at her own words. Hanji was as well, judging by her surprised glance. "I…I am sorry."

"It's okay," Hanji replied, smiling softly, as if she were hiding an amusing secret. "It's to be expected."

Mikasa slumped against the chair, a wave of exhaustion washing over her like someone had dumped a bucket of water on her. Finished wrapping her hand, Hanji waited as Mikasa stared off at the table.

"I don't know what's wrong with me, Hanji…" Mikasa whispered, shutting her eyes tight before tears began to well.

"Tell me," Hanji urged gently and at her command Mikasa broke down and told the older woman everything.

* * *

A swift jerk of her left hand and Mikasa was plunging her blade to rip into the soft leather of fake Titan necks. The sensation was smooth and relieving, making a smooth exhale escape past her lips as she launched away. When Mikasa landed it was with a soft thud against the wood of a tree, relishing the feel of adrenaline and the throbbing pain of her right hand. When she turned around she surveyed her work with vicious satisfaction, fingers twitching against the triggers of her 3DMG.

"Well done, Ackerman," Mike stated, marking down the information in a notepad. Mikasa looked at the officer, fists clenching with impatience and Mikasa could feel fire spread through her right hand.

"Well…?"

"Well, what?"

"What was my time?"

Mike looked at her, blinking curiously as she bit the inside of her cheek.

"We weren't timing you, Ackerman. This is just a practice course."

Gritting her teeth, Mikasa nodded tersely before turning and letting her hooks fly toward a nearby tree. Without another word, Mikasa stepped off the branch and let gravity and the gas in her canister push her near to the ground before shooting high into the air.

It wasn't necessary to take a fall like that, but Mikasa needed to feel something other than the blood curdling irritation pooling in her stomach. The drop of gravity gave her that substitution, if only for a short moment. As she headed back to the main supply shed, Mikasa tried in vain to push away last night's conversation from her mind.

_Sounds to me like you're in love with Corporal Levi._ Hanji's words bounced through her head.

"What are you talking about," Mikasa had scoffed, not amused. "That isn't funny, Hanji."

"I wasn't joking, Mikasa," Hanji shrugged in response to Mikasa's acerbic grunt. "In fact it's the only logical explanation."

"People do not fall in love in just one night," Mikasa urged, rolling her eyes.

"People have fallen in love in less." Hanji replied, chuckling. "I would know. I've seen plenty."

"I'm not in love with Levi."

"Then why did you just call him by his name rather than his rank?"

A dark blush scorched Mikasa's cheeks and the girl sputtered while Hanji stared at her with a sly grin.

"That was an accident." Mikasa protested before scrambling to her feet. Focusing on the throbbing pain of her hand rather than the way her heart was clenching and how her mind teased her with images of moonsoaked blue eyes and pale fingers tickling haunting songs out of a mystery instrument.

"I don't think it was, Mikasa." Hanji hummed, leaning back and staring out the window of the infimary, a strange wistful gaze in her eyes. "I've known Levi for nearly ten years and he has never let anyone play with him. Allowed to listen? Seldomly. But to join him? Never. Some have even asked and begged for him to teach them, but in all these years Levi has always insisted on playing by himself. I believed that, at least for him, music was his secret way of letting himself go. Letting all the pain and agony of losing so many friends and family to this war. So it made sense why he would never share that with anyone… until you walked in."

Mikasa's mouth had gone dry as Hanji turned a secret smile and soft eyes on her. "So, no, Mikasa. I don't think it was an accident."

Sheathing her sword, Mikasa dropped to the ground. Dirt crunching beneath her boots, the young woman made her way to the supply shed, pointedly ignoring the calls and beckoning of her friends' voices. At this point the pain in her right hand had gotten to a fierce peak, making the sweat of exertion drip as sweat of pain. Nevertheless, Mikasa carried on and acted as if the injury were a simple bruise and used the pain to push irritating thoughts away. As she unbuckled the gear off her body and stored the swords away, Mikasa tried to push away the tumult of feelings writhing within her chest like restless snakes. But focusing on the pain in her hand was only making those snakes spin rather than dumb down.

She had hoped the conversation with Hanji would help clear away the confusion and turmoil, give an answer that Mikasa so desperately needed to silence the laughing darkness as she tried to sleep in the late hours of the night. Instead, her revelation had dropped more dreaded feeling into the pot and now it bubbled and rolled within Mikasa, making it harder to stay composed and unaffected.

This was not what Mikasa wanted.

She could not afford having feelings like this. She needed to focus on protecting Eren, on ensuring he would surive and discover the truth in the basement of their home.

This was war.

And in war there was no space for love and petty romances. There was no space for music.

And yet, why did the memory plague her? Why did that melody make her fingers itch to complete it, to surround her body in the euphoria of taking part in it?

Even worse… why did Hanji's words spark not just confusion and frustration, but an undeniable flicker of elation upon realizing that she was the only one to share in something so profound with the otherwise harsh and brutal Corporal?

And it was surely undeniable, exposing a brief giddyness that Mikasa took no mercy in kicking down.

"Ah…" Mikasa hissed, the pain in her hand was too much now. Collapsing to her knees in the silent shed, Mikasa cradled her injured hand to her chest, blaming the tears that now dripped stains into her pants were only caused by the pain in her knuckle.

She couldn't let this happen…

She couldn't…

"Mikasa!" Armin's voice startled her, and Mikasa quickly threw her left hand to wipe furiously at the tears in her eyes. Frantic foosteps made their way to her and by the time she could see the boy kneel beside her, Mikasa managed to steel her face into one of blank disinterest.

"Mikasa, what's wrong?" He asked, his hand finding its way to hold her shoulder.

"I'm fine, Armin." She muttered but let out a pained cry when he reached over and grabbed her injured hand.

"I'm sorry!" He exclaimed, dropping her hand as if it burned him. Tears swam freely down her cheeks, it was becoming more and more difficult to keep her emotions under control. "What happened? Did you injure your hand?"

"It was yesterday…" She admitted through clenched teeth and she allowed the boy to lift her to her feet.

"Come on, let's take you to Hanji—"

Mikasa was about to protest before the sound of the main shed door slammed open. The two looked up and into the wide and excited green eyes of Eren, he was panting as if he had ran a mile in two minutes.

"They're back!" He gasped out, grinning widely. "Levi's squad just returned!"

Ice and fire spread through Mikasa's veins and through her body, making her freeze and burn at the news. Pure unadulterated Joy burst through her chest before settling into an easy relief, making her breathe out a shaky sigh. It was then followed by a sudden giddyness, then anxiety and finally dread all in the space of a few short seconds. Stomach dropping and heart leaping, Mikasa dropped her gaze from Eren's bright green eyes to stare at a point on the floor. The tears of pain had stopped the moment she blinked in shock, but now her head felt light and heavy all at once.

"What are you two waiting for?" Eren asked, throwing his arms to the side. "Let's go!"

"Come on, Mikasa." Armin nudged, excitement washing over his voice and making the hole where her stomach was quiver.

"N-no…" She shook her head, struggling to let gather her thoughts. "I'll just go to Hanji's."

"I'm sure she's already gone to go see the squad return," Eren replied, frowning now. "What's the matter?"

"Mikasa's hand hurts," Armin explained. "She says she injured it yesterday."

"Yesterday?" Eren asked, eyebrows lifting in surprise. "What happened?"

"Nevermind, Eren," Mikasa snapped, but bit her lip when the two of them flinched in surprise. With a deep sigh she closed her eyes.

"Just let me go to Hanji's ofice."

"I told you," Eren said. "She's not going to be there. Just come with us to meet with the returning squad, I'm sure Hanji will look over your hand there."

"I'm not going." Mikasa ground out, glaring defiantly into Eren's gaze. At this the boys exchanged a shocked look before looking back at her.

"What's going on, Mikasa?" Armin asked, staring at her worriedly.

"I just don't want to go, okay? Just drop it." She hissed, ripping her arm away from Armin's hold and before she could say anything or allow them to ask any more questions, Mikasa stormed out of the shed and toward the building. She would just have to wait in her room until it all died down and she could visit with Hanji in peace.

"Mikasa!" She heard Eren cry out to her. Mikasa ignored him and just kept walking, releasing a deep breath of air when she realized he was not chasing after her. _When did he ever, anyway?_

When Mikasa reached her room, she did the only thing she could do. Locking the door, she moved to her bed and collapsed on it, refusing to lift her face from her pillow as she laid, trembling and weeping as the silence continued to press into her stomach, cackling.

"I don't love him…" She wept. "I don't love him… I don't… I don't."

Before she knew it, Mikasa had drifted off to an uneasy sleep.

* * *

When Mikasa woke it was to the sharp pain of her fist being crushed to the bed under her body. Twisting, she freed the injured hand and let out a slow moan of pain as it pulsed strong in her hand before fading to an outstanding ache. Groggy, exhausted and starving, Mikasa looked out her window.

It was past dusk, judging by the every present darkness that came when the sun set. Standing, Mikasa looked over her wrinkled clothes with disgust. She had half a mind to just change into her nightclothes and go back to bed, in hopes of trying to go back to sleep, or change into a clean uniform.

Either way, she did not want to remain in her sweat crusted clothes any longer than she should.

Pulling out of the belts and clothes was already a laborious task with two hands. With one, it was a nightmare. By the time Mikasa was out of her pants and jacket, her right hand was throbbing something nasty and sweat was staining the her back and neck.

A shower then…

But the baths were on the other side of the building. Could she make her way there without being spotted by any unwelcome passerby's?

With a groan, Mikasa sat back on her bed as she slowly massaged her pained knuckled gently. It only made the pain worse so she stopped all together.

_Blue eyes, dark hair drenched in moonlight. "Mikasa."_

Balling her good fist, Mikasa stood up and began to grab all her bathing things in a furious sweep. It didn't matter if someone did bump into her, she needed to walk and a shower sounded like a good destination to head to. She could have Hanji look at her hand later when there was no concern of seeing _him_.

Sliding on her already dirtied pants, Mikasa made her way out her room and down the lamp-lit halls. Judging by the lack of people, she could guess it was dinner time. Her stomach grumbled tightly, but she kept trudging. She could eat when she's clean.

It took her nearly ten minutes to make it to the large baths, and when she walked through the women's side she was pleased to find it practically vacant. Two women were talking to each other as they dressed in clean clothes, only sparing her a glance as she walked through the changing area and to the steamy showers.

Within moments, Mikasa was under a stream of hot water and she relished the way the water slid down her body and soothed her aching muscles. Water slapped against stone and skin and shower curtains, keeping the silence at bay.

If she wanted, Mikasa would stay under the stream forever. Her stomach let out another pained gurgle and Mikasa sighed.

Half an hour later, Mikasa was clothed in a clean uniform and staring at her damp expression in the mirror, happy at least that the women had gone.

_I've known Levi for nearly ten years and he has never let anyone play with him._

Water dripped down her hair to fall against the skin of her collarbone in a soft drip.

_In all these years Levi has always insisted on playing by himself._

Closing her eyes, Mikasa allowed her fingers to mimic the motions of touching keys and eliciting sweet music. In the silence, Mikasa allowed her mind to bring up the same haunting melody she had heard from outside the door – wondering how his hands fluttered over white and black, wondered how it would feel to have those same touches on her chest, on her skin.

_This is war… there is no space for love._

Pain shot up her knuckle to her wrist in short jabs, but Mikasa ignored it, letting her fingers rap gently against her thigh.

_Blue narrow eyes beckoned, the soft baritone of his voice urging her to sit by his side. The fierce electric tension between their slightly distanced shoulders. The feel of that electricity jotting up her skin where their hands grazed each other. The feeling in her chest when she was caught in music that pierced through actions and words, and the emotion of knowing she was making it. _

_Until you walked in_.

"_Mikasa…"_

_His lips were no longer gently grazing against hers, but pressing firmly and tasting without holding back. Those same fingers that played through soul ripping melodies now tangled themselves in her hair and squeezed against her waist, pushing her hot against his chest and breathing her name against her aching mouth. _

"_Mikasa…" _

_She imagined the sound to be sweeter than the music he bore his soul into. Would she be able to feel that same music in her core as he played sensitive spots on her flesh like he played the piano?_

"Mikasa."

Dark eyes shot open and a fierce force pulled through her daydream, trembling through her bones and fingers. Mikasa looked around, frantic and panting, hands clenched in her lap. No one was there. _Had she imagined it?_

Mikasa let out a shuddered breath, heart pounding, and grabbed her belongings quickly before exiting from the steam clogged dressing area. Cold, dry air struck her heated skin like a slap, making her shiver. She regretted not wearing her shoes when she had left her room, but settled on walking a little faster back to her room. She could just ask Armin or Sasha to bring her some food. Well… Armin. Sasha would just sneak in bites of her food on the way to her room.

Rounding a darkened corner, Mikasa let her eyes wander toward the large windows on this side of the castle. The moonlight was coming down strong this evening, making everything glow where the sunlight only brightened. Instead, now the sunlight was gone and the stillness of the night was beginning to claim its inhabitants with its promise for sleep. _Fake promise_, Mikasa thought bitterly before looking away from the moonlight and to the hallway ahead.

A gasp lodged itself in her throat and Mikasa slammed to a stop, dropping her things in her shock. Just feet away, a pair of blue eyes turned to look at her in surprise. Those same blue eyes she had just moment ago fantasized about, and they pierced her with the same emotion that had surprised her the first night she walked in on him playing.

_Levi…_

The sound of her belongings crashing on the floor echoed around her, bleeding into the same laughing silence Mikasa had been trying to escape. Yet now she remained, trapped under his gaze and her heart was pounding hard against her chest, ears, injured hand.

"Ackerman." He spoke and the sound of his voice sent violent shivers through her skin.

"Corporal." She managed, swallowing thickly under his stare. He turned his body, having been facing the direction of the moon drenched windows, toward her and Mikasa ripped her eyes away. Bending over to pick up her things, Mikasa struggled to contain the shaking in her hands, trying to remember how to breathe.

Footsteps and a hand was reaching down and swiped the shampoo bottle from the ground, inches from her hand. His hand stopped, bottle held simply in his palm and moonlight bounced off his skin. Mikasa then realized then that he must've seen the terrible bruising over her knuckles. Mikasa swore inwardly, scolding herself for forgetting to wrap it.

"What happened to your hand?" Levi asked.

"Nothing," She replied quickly before straightening up. Too quickly. Yet he did not pressure her, instead watching her curiously as she fidgeted.

"I didn't see you at dinner." He said instead, casually. Yet his eyes were flashing, questioning.

"I was resting." Mikasa replied, tense.

"You're sick?"

"…No."

The silence that followed nearly swallowed her whole, but Mikasa dared not move. She was caught, completely and without mercy under the gaze of his glowing blue eyes, lit by the moonlight.

"You look like hell." He spoke once more and Mikasa winced, hoping she could tug her scarf over her facec but it was currently stuffed with the rest of her things. Instead she settled to ducking her chin, damp hair falling over her cheeks.

"I've been having trouble sleeping." The words came out before she could stop them and she bit her lips, tight. _What the hell…?_

"Oh? How so?" The question brought on too many thoughts, too many conflicting and possible things to say in response. So she settled for a stubborn silence.

Levi shifted in his stance before dumping the shampoo bottle on top of the pile of things in her hands. He took in a short breath and Mikasa dropped her gaze to his feet.

"You haven't returned," Levi mentioned and she felt her stomach squeeze. _There it was._ Mikasa felt her emotions roll in her chest, forcing her to look up to his face. He was staring out the window, moonlight caressing his cheek and running its fingers through his hair, brightening his cravat around his neck. _She had wanted to. God, she had wanted to return to his side and play with him_. But she couldn't. Surely, he knew that. He must know why.

"It didn't mean anything," Mikasa didn't know she could even fathom the words let alone say them. But here she was… lying through her teeth and hating herself all the more.

"Of course it didn't," He replied, easily. It tore more at her to see that his face didn't show a hint of emotion, of reaction to the words that were causing her such terrible anxiety. "All we did was play a song."

"Just a song." She agreed, but her voice came out insistent. Levi blinked those terrible blue eyes at her, moonlight bouncing off them and reminding her all too much of that night.

"Was it, though?" He hummed after a moment of tense silence and she could heart give an excited and sickening jump and squeeze. He took a step forward, those blue eyes drawing nearer before flashing to her lips and back. The butterfly feeling he had pressed on her mouth so many nights ago returned with a tingle and a sharp intake of breath. He was _so close_…

"Corporal…" Mikasa protested. Well, tried to. It came out more as a plea than anything.

"I asked you a direct question, Ackerman." Levi dead panned, yet there was a hint of fierceness in the back of his throat. She wondered what that would taste like.

"I…" Mikasa choked out, felling her heart in her throat and a fierce desire in her fingertips - not unlike the way they had itched to touch the mysterious instrument he called a 'piano'. He inched a bit closer, eyes narrowing and lips parting just a slight bit to expose a hint of white teeth and moist tongue. Just looking at those eyes and that smooth mouth made her shiver furiously.

"I…" she could feel his breath on her mouth, but he froze just inches away. His eyes bore deep into hers, unmoving, challenging, just _daring_ her to do anything contrary to what was flowing between them. In that moment Mikasa wanted two things: one, to escape. To run as fast as she could until she found herself outside the walls and into the world where he could never find her. And two, to press herself so tight against him, share more than just secret glances and profound music and claim him as hers. Hers and hers alone.

_But I can't. _

"It was just a song." She breathed finally, feeling her words shove hollow stones down her stomach. Levi's eyes crinkled once, exposing an unknown emotion before flattening to their usual bored stare. He pulled away, stepping back and leaving the cold air of the hallway to chill her through her skin and bones and soul.

With a simple nod, Levi understood and it _killed her_.

"You should go get that hand looked at," He stated, and Mikasa nodded looking back down and feeling her shoulders slump.

"Good night, Ackerman." Levi bade before marching around her and walking away. His footsteps echoed in her ears in a rhythmic beat before fading away, leaving only the silence to continue to laugh at her.

Tears fell down her cheeks, quiet and burning.

_I do not love him._

* * *

The next few weeks were murder. During the day, her performance continued to fluctuate. Some days she was invincible and after her hand had healed Mikasa threw herself viciously into her training. She burned through the courses, flying hard and slicing through dummies like her life depended on it. If her friends were worried for her, they didn't bother her with it. But several times she had been approached by Hanji, asking her how she was doing while Armin and Eren waited silently behind her. As usual, Mikasa would insist she was doing fine and withdrew within herself.

When Levi was nearby, Mikasa would force her gaze away and the tension between them remained still and tight. Like a string being pulled taut too strongly. When he spoke, she tried to tune him out, hating herself when she could not stop the way her insides warmed and melted at every comment he made. The giddy feeling that came when he addressed her directly was distracting, and time after time she would find ways to not speak at all and if it was unavoidable, it was curt and brief.

But when he would turn around and leave, Mikasa could not stop the way her eyes followed him. Could not stop the heavy sighs that caved through her chest, the way her skin burned when she knew he was burrowing holes into the back of her head with his narrow stare. The itching in her fingers would only get worse after that.

Those nights following offered no respite; crushing her with endless hours filled with the ongoing cackles of the dark. If she slept, she dreamed of his eyes and his lips. How his hands would caress that same piano and then suddenly caress her aching skin. In the heat of her bed, tangled in sheets and drenched in sweat, Mikasa would dream of Levi pushing those hands up her shirt and touching every inch of skin, lighting her with fire and desire. Every night, the dreams increased with intensity until she woke with a start, body trembling and with his name staining her lips.

Body tingling in the places she had dreamed of him touching, Mikasa panted in short gasps. _Lips caressed her neck, suckling tender flesh while he caressed the hot skin of her inner thighs, pushing them open as he pressed between them. She let out a tight moan as his hands reached down, down… down_…

_Levi_…

Mikasa threw herself off the bed, pacing the room with unsteady legs as she tried to keep her breathing under control. She hated him. She hated what he did to her. Why did she ever go out of her room? Why did she give in to idiot curiosities in the dead of night?

Cursing violently, Mikasa made her way to her small bathroom and proceeded to clean the mess between her legs.

This was getting out of control.

Desperate and at her wit's end, Mikasa had no choice but to abandon the heat of her room and follow the darkened hallways. Mikasa knew she could not keep holding back any longer. She was running, trying to escape the taunts of her dreams and the ever watchful silence that seemed to take some sick pleasure in witnessing the fraying of her sanity.

It was late, or early. Too late for him to be awake, surely. That thought spurned a dead hope and biting disappointment in her chest, but kept her feet moving. Within moments, she was standing in front of those large double doors, gasping.

Her hand gripped the cold metal knob and twisted. The door gave in to her soft push and she was inside the room that had haunted the back of her mind. As if time had left the room untouched, Mikasa noted with an awed reverence that the large black piano had not been moved an inch.

The only thing missing was the daunting figure of the Corporal. But his absence allowed her to step forward until she was surrounded in moonlight and inches away from the instrument.

Sitting down on the black bench, Mikasa stared at the black curved instrument. The keys replaced by perfectly polished wood. Lifting nervous hands up, Mikasa ran her cold fingers over the even colder surface until she found a seam. Lifting up, the wood gave into the force of her hands and she slid it into the instrument. The sound of wood sliding and striking wood echoed gently into the room, revealing the black and white keys.

They looked so pristine, so perfect under the moonlight.

Could she remember to play them? Press them like he did? The thoughts bled away the moment Mikasa pressed her hands on the white and black before gently pressing down.

Notes, so rich and light struck her ears like kisses and Mikasa let out a short sigh. Her fingers remembered the scales Levi had taught her nearly four months ago, and gaining some courage she began to test out the chords he had shown her.

Her progressions came out clumsy, in short staccatos as her fingers pressed and attempted to mimic Levi's smooth talent. In her touches, Mikasa shifted her foot and felt something cool touch her toes. Glancing down, Mikasa noticed three pedals. She didn't remember these.

Curiously, she pressed her foot on one of them but no sound came out. She pressed the pedal again, while her hand struck a note on accident and the sound that came out was louder, deeper and elongated.

Mikasa removed her foot, startled and quickly glancing around she hoped no one would come barging in and telling her to leave. Silence continued through the room and after a moment, Mikasa turned back to the piano and allowed her foot to press the pedal once more.

This time she played the notes gently, and the sound grew into a smooth lift of notes. Minutes passed and her hands had gained confidence over the chords and scales. Feeling confident, she started to play the notes Levi had taught her to play. Her thumb and fingers bounced off the keys softly and the melody began to grow much like the feeling now budding in her chest.

For a long while, Mikasa let her fingers work over notes, allowing that strange instinct to press her other hand on the lower keys and play what felt right.

Before she knew it, she was playing something new. Something from within her soul and while it came out slightly choppy and less intricate than the music that Levi purged through the large instrument, it was still beautiful and surrounded her.

Body swaying to the feeling in her hands and chest, Mikasa let her eyes zone in to the keys, pushing everything out. Just reveling in the feeling inspired by the music she did not exactly know where it was coming from.

The music rose and it fell and before coming to a close, her hands wavering over the keys as she finished on the higher keys and its completeness echoed in the space around her.

Sighing, Mikasa let her hands drop to her lap as she let the high of the music pull from her chest. A strange exhaustion pooled behind her eyes, making Mikasa wish for the warmth of her bed and hopefully a dreamless sleep. But something kept her on the bench, like a final desire to end the night with just a few more notes.

Not knowing what else to play, Mikasa began to thumb through the notes Levi had taught her, over and over.

A sudden progression of rich harmony filled her ears and the weight of something next to her made Mikasa jump, blood pumping hard in her chest and body. Pale hands pressed against the keys in a familiar set of notes and she followed them up to a pair of bare arms and a soft white shirt before landing on moonlit glow bouncing off blue eyes staring into the keys.

"Levi…" Mikasa breathed, heart pounding in her chest.

"Don't stop." He whispered.

Was this a dream? No. She could feel his warmth radiate without doubt next to her. The urge to flee hit her then but the music drowned it, surrounding her in a new feeling more powerful than anything she had felt before.

Without another word, Mikasa lifted her hand and really _felt_ the music pouring from his fingers before allowing the music to follow from her own.

It was as if all this time between them had been a blur. Every inch of distance that had kept them at farther than arm's reach suddenly faded between them and it felt as if it had only been a night ago since she had last played with him. But things had changed, and the apprehension that had clouded her chest for the past few months and sent her spiraling into a pit of confusion was cleared away to make for the ecstasy of music between them.

And as the music closed, Mikasa could feel her lips lift into a soft yet warm smile and when his hand stopped just next to hers she did not pull away. Letting her eyes lift from the black and white keys, Mikasa felt her gaze meet his glowing blues and truly felt her breath disappear from her throat.

"When did you…?" She whispered.

"I heard the music from my room…" Levi replied, voice low and soft. "When I got up here you had just started to play something I never taught you."

"You heard that?" It was nearly inaudible, but he heard it all the same. It was too quiet not to. Levi's blue eyes fell to the piano, a soft smile playing at his lips.

"It was beautiful. I've only ever heard myself play for the past ten years. Listening to you…" He trailed off before lifting his gaze back to hers. Mikasa could feel it, that electricity, that _pull_ that had haunted her that night in the hallway. That same feeling caked its way into her throat, but she could not bother to speak anyway, what could she even say to that?

"I guess you and I are not so different…" He said, snorting gently with pin-prick amusement as his hands reached over to the wood and slid the piano close with a soft _thump_. Mikasa swallowed, trying to find something to say.

"L-Levi…" His eyes flashed at her when she said his name.

"Say it again." He ordered, blue eyes growing hot with a fierce intensity and she could feel it, taste it on her lips as he inched closer. Mikasa froze, heart ramming itself against her chest and throat.

"_Say it again._" Levi ordered once more. His voice sent pleasurable tingles down her spine and making every inch of her skin ever aware of his closing proximity. Mikasa let her tongue peek out over her lips, moistening them under his hot breath, shuddering.

"L …Levi," She whispered and he let out a low groan, too low for her to hear but enough for her to _feel._

"Mikasa…" Levi sighed before lifting those hands to press tight against the skin of her neck and tangling in her hair and pulling her forward to crush his lips against hers.

Like music bursting through her chest and body, Mikasa moaned against him pulling at the soft fabric of his night shirt and crushing her body as close to his as she could. He tasted like sweet mint tea, honey and something lightly bitter. It consumed her. Months of tight tension and held back desire broke between them and their kiss, while slow, became frantic.

"Oh," Mikasa groaned in-between kisses, feeling his hand trail from her neck, down the hot skin of her exposed shoulder to glide down her side and grip around her waist. "_Levi…_"

The bench beneath the two made soft squeaks as Levi tugged Mikasa up and closer to him. Wanting nothing more than to close the distance, Mikase broke the kiss for a moment as she pressed her knees on the bench and slid her right leg over his lap, straddling him as her rear rested on the closed surface of the piano. His hands lit flames through her skin, sliding beneath the soft fabric of her night shirt and caressing hot flesh.

The head between them was getting near unbearable, but Mikasa would not dare let him stop tasting her. Their lips moved and bruised, tongues plunging deep in each others mouths as Mikasa dug her fingers through his scalp, running through the soft strands of his hair.

"Mm, Mikasa…" Levi moaned, hissing sharply when she rocked her hips against his—they yanked themselves apart. Staring wide eyed into each other's eyes, breathing hard and heavy. Mikasa had expected flames, she had even expected a shock of electric desire to burst through her skin. She knew their level of attraction had skyrocketed the more they refused to give in but now… neither had expected an explosion.

"We should go…" Levi heaved, struggling to catch his breath.

"Yes… yes we should." Mikasa agreed, shivering as his hands slid down to her hips. Slowly, Mikasa pressed a foot to the ground and lifted herself off him, wobbling dangerously to the side on weak knees. Levi stood, looking into her eyes and waiting for her to run, to escape. But Mikasa made no such moves and instead met his gaze without fear, only desire.

Grabbing her hand, Levi turned and tugged her along. Before they knew it, they were running out the door silently, bodies bumping the more Mikasa tried to keep their distance short. Turning down corridors and through hallways, Levi led her to a single door. She was gasping by the time he opened it, but instead of following him in, Mikasa threw herself into his arms and sealed her lips over his again. Levi expertly spun them in through his door, taking a moment to lock it shut before pushing her towards his bed.

Not wasting any time, their clothes were soon thrown off the bed as they seared hot kisses down each other's jaws and throats. His fingers slid and teased against soft nerves and aching skin, playing soft sounds through her throat with the same efficiency he played on the piano. It was enough to drive her out of her mind.

"Levi… Levi," Mikasa pleaded, letting her hands grip to the skin of his back as he worked his hands down to the waistband of her trousers.

"Ahh..." His voice caressed her neck as she let her nails rip down his skin.

"All this time…" Mikasa moaned, arching her back when she felt him rock his hips hard against hers, the friction making her feel more alive than she's felt in months. "I've been wanting you all this time…Levi."

"Then why," He murmured, lips pressing moist kisses down the valley of her breasts.

"I was afraid…" Mikasa confessed, body trembling with more than just desire but pain and anguish, for having denied him so long. "I didn't realize…_Ah_."

"You won't need to be afraid anymore." He responded, taking a moment to stop to hover over her, soft moonlight exposing every emotion behind those blue irises. "Mikasa…"

He brought his lips back down to hers, and within short moments of deep pants and low groans, he pressed himself tight against her. Mikasa let out a high pitched moan the moment Levi buried himself between her legs and a feeling of complete rapture coursed through her veins as he rocked back and forth against her. Their foreheads pressing together as they breathed in each other's air, tasting every ounce of skin, Mikasa felt him complete her in more ways than the music that brought them together did.

"I love you…" Mikasa sighed.

"I know." Levi replied and kissed her into oblivion. Each whimper, each moan and intake of air and each cry had turned into beautiful music between them, filling the air around them and ripping through the taunting silence and encompassing darkness until they finally both crescendo'ed to the highest peak of pleasure, bodies writhing and twitching deliciously, before caving into each other's skin.

Kissing his lips and caressing his hot flesh, hands gliding over tight and strong muscle, Mikasa winded down. Body still twitching beneath him, Mikasa allowed a short moment to take in all he was as he collected himself beside her. Blue eyes gazed at her softly, in a reverent awe, moonlight skimming over his skin and making him look like the music he played; Every single detail filled her with unending relief and pounding love. Sated, Mikasa let her fingers caress the skin of his cheek and smiled when he pressed a soft kiss to her wrist.

"Thank you," She murmured, feeling the soft cobwebs of sleep finally press over her eyelids and muscles.

"For what?" He asked, lips tickling the soft skin of her palm.

"For teaching me your music."

With a final slow and simmering kiss, Mikasa let Levi pull her into his arms before allowing her eyes slide close. The look of serene contentment over his loving gaze being the last thing she saw before drifting away.

That night, Mikasa slept deeply, rocked to sleep by the soft lull of their very own music.

_fin_

* * *

_**And that's it! Thank you everyone for your support! This story was definitely filled with angst and music. Coming up, Thunder Clouds. But please, please let me know what you thought. Give me critiques, give me thoughts, favorite parts, parts that inspired you. I want to know my hard efforts have beared good fruits, so please take a moment to review! **_

_**Mido-Ao (aka K-Lionheart)**_


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